Companies enlisted in Athletic Contest to Benefit Handicapped

LONG BEACH — Forty corporations are being sought to compete in the fourth annual Battle of the Corporate Stars to held Sept. 20 to 22 at Cal State Long Beach.

Benefiting the California Special Olympics, the event featuring serious and zany athletic competition will be patterned after similar contests features on television.

"The employees taking part in the battle don't necessarily need to be great athletes, but coordination definitely helps," said former Olympian Rafer Johnson, president of the California Special Olympics. "the most important qualification is that they're ready to have fun and feel good about what they're doing to help."

The California Special Olympics is an accredited chapter of the International Special Olympics, the largest organization in the world providing athletic competition and sports training for mentally handicapped children and adults. There are more than 30,000 Special Olympians who participate in statewide programs.